Josei Manga: What A Woman Needs

When people start looking at the wide variety that is found in the world of Japanese comic books, or manga, they often feel a little bit confused by who the manga is aimed at.  While some titles are meant for small children, others are much more adult, and you’ll find that josei manga, comics written for older girls and women, is one of the most popular genres of manga out there!

When you look at josei manga, you’ll find that it has several things in common with shojo manga, but where shojo manga is typically intended for a young girl audience and thus is relatively tame and innocent, josei manga can be much darker.  Like shojo manga, for instance, josei manga tends towards storylines that are heavily based in interpersonal relationships.  You’ll find that josei manga will deal with romantic relationships that go wrong, or with characters that are facing extremely dark times in their lives.  It is not uncommon to find storylines or titles that deal with such issues as rape, incest or murder, and it is fairly common to see these events explored as they are happening and as they affect their protagonist’s life thereafter.

Josei manga, despite the fact that the art is often quite lovely, is not meant for children.  Even the humor tends to be a great deal more adult in titles that are collected under this line.  For the most part, you’ll find that the main characters of josei series are adult women who are living on their own, although some titles do depict the lives of high schoolers.  Even the art style will change; instead of the wide, sparkling eyes that you see in shojo manga, you’ll see a more realistic depiction of the characters.

This genre of manga is like any other in that there are exceptions to every rule, and even in this category, there will be sub-categories as well.  For instance, one example of a fairly comedic josei manga would be Gokusen, a series which describes the attempts of a young teacher named Kumiko Yamaguchi to corral her unruly all-male class and to help them excel.  The twist comes when the audience realizes that she is the granddaughter of a powerful crime boss and there is a great deal of humor in her trying to hide this while encouraging her students and contemplating a romance with her family’s lawyer.

On the other hand, you’ll also find that some josei manga can be quite heartbreaking, as in the case of Tramps Like Us.  In this title, Sumire Iwaya is a successful but high-strung career woman who inadvertently takes in a young homeless boy.  In frustration, she says that if he is to stay, he’ll be her pet, and to her astonishment, he accepts, answering to the name “Momo.”  Between Sumire’s reluctance to love freely, and the issues that drove Momo to homelessness in the first place, there is plenty of drama and soul searching.

Josei manga is perfect for someone who is looking for great art, hard-hitting storylines, or just some adult fun, so take a look at a few titles and find out what this genre has to offer you!